cstiv

Sorry if I offended you.

 

By your logic' date=' the tips might also be reduced for the third and fourth person in any cabin because they pay a reduced cruise fare compared to the first two. Or should be raised if the 3rd person is 13 or older because there is a surcharge to the "3rd person" charge for anyone over 12.

 

Bottom line, you have the answer as to the standard tip. You are also free to adjust up or down as you see fit.[/quote']

 

Correct, that is the logic as to why the answer isn’t obvious. I wasn’t suggesting that children should account for a smaller amount only that I didn’t know. Again thanks for answering my question.

It was a straightforward question and a straightforward answer would have sufficed. I didn’t say they should be exempt I just asked if they were the same rate. The reason they might not be the same rate is obvious, they are a different rate for the cruise fare. I suspected that they cost the same but I wasn’t sure, that’s why I asked. Anyway thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Does the $84 pp number apply to children under 3?

In the same vein- can you put a 2 1/3 yr old in the Oceaneers Club? I'm pretty sure that the answer is no, but I saw the post where you can round up a year on the other two clubs...

Obviously brunch is on sea days....not sure how that interferes with dinner other than not wanting to go to brunch the day after dinner (or the reverse).

 

What you might want to do is to look at the menus. The signature menus are (or were) on the DCL site for each restaurant; the menus for the theme nights can be found on line. We do Palo on our "least favorite" menu night. Another way to handle the kids on your Palo night is to make your Palo reservation during the seating that you are not assigned to. For instance' date=' if you have main seating (early) for dinner, make your Palo reservation at 8:00. You can take the family to the main seating dinner, meet your servers, etc. and explain that you are not eating because you are going to Palo. The kids get fed, you get to see how things work, etc. They will "expedite" the food for the kids if you ask. Then take the kids to their programming areas/nursery and head up to Palo. You can get food for the kids from room service, heavy snacks in the concierge lounge, or from the outlets on the pool deck also. I guess I can't wrap my head around not going to the dining room on the first night on DCL.[/quote']

 

The reason I decided to do that was that I had received an email from DCL saying that I could book Palo twice if I booked it the first night. Apparently they don't get a lot of people at Palo the first night, I guess for the reasons you listed.

There are people who like to eat in the fanciest restaurant on formal night or in the most casual on pirate night. I honestly find that to be a little silly' date=' especially as the theme changes in the restaurants mean that none really fits with the pirate night concept. By the end of the cruise, each person will have been able to experience all of the same menus provided they have not opted for adult dining.

 

Tiana's is new and for that reason alone, I would not miss the signature menu night there. Each restaurant will serve the signature menu, typically on the first night you are assigned there. The remaining nights will be themed nights where all restaurants will serve the same menu. The Animator's show runs the same night as the signature menu normally. I guess I'd take the first one because I don't want to miss the Animator's show and I don't want to miss Tiana's signature menu. In reality, I would not have done Palo on the first night. I would want to eat in the MDR on the first night to meet my serving team, get the children used to them and to the ship, etc. That way, they can do the MDR under the supervision of the 11 year old on your Palo night if you wish with the toddler in the nursery, obviously. I'd do Palo later in the week....but that's a personal choice issue and you may well have a reason for first night Palo.[/quote']

 

Thanks for the thorough reply. The reason we did Palo the first night so we could go a second time for brunch.

We are sailing on the Wonder on Jan 21 for a 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise. I talked to shore-side concierge and they told me what the three different rotations are and will let me request one but I'm not sure which one I want as all the restaurants sound good. The three restaurants are Tiana's Place (Tp), Animator's Palette (A), and Triton's (T). We are eating at Palo the first night and the Pirate's night is the 5th night. The three rotations are:

1. T-A-Tp-T-A-A-Tp

2. A-Tp-T-A-Tp-Tp-T

3. Tp-T-A-Tp-T-T-A

So since we are doing Palo the first night, we are going to do one restaurant once and one restaurant thrice (one night being Pirate's night). We have a group of 8 with my parents, my wife and I, and our children (11, 6, 4, 2). Any advice?

Night 1- Standard Rotational

Night 2- Prince and Princess (formal)

Night 3- Standard Rotational

Night 4- Captain's Gala (semi-formal) lobster night

Night 5- Pirate menu

Night 6- Standard Rotational

Night 7- 'till We Meet Again

Thanks, is this specifically for the Jan 21 cruise on the Wonder? Also, where did you get this info?

We did our first Disney Cruise when we had 2.5 year old and 9 month old daughters. We had a great time and now we are doing a 7 day cruise with our (now) 3 daughters aged 6, 4, 2. We felt great about the care they were getting in the nursery. Of all the vacations I have been on DCL is most tailored for families traveling with young children. This benefits the parents as well as the children. I highly recommend.

Thanks! Where is it posted on DCL about Pirate night?

Also I noticed they changed the departure out of Martinique to 9:00 pm.

We are sailing on a 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan in two weeks and someone on our roll call pointed out that they had changed the departure from Aruba from 7:45 to 11:45 pm. All the the other departure are at 4:45 and I assumed that was because we had a sea day after Aruba so we had plenty of time. Any insight on why we are leaving so late? Does this mean they probably won't have Pirate night or one of the live shows that night? Finally, any idea what night we would have Pirate night? Thanks.

We were booked at the Hyatt House San Juan in a couple weeks that I had booked pre-hurricane. I tried contacting the hotel several times to no avail, so I booked an AirBnb as backup. The Airbnb was actually much nicer and a better deal than the hotel so I was planning on staying there. The problem was that I had booked on Hotwire, so getting my money back would be tricky. But I called a couple times and explained that I had to make alternate arrangements since I couldn't get a hold of the hotel. After some persistence I was able to get them to cancel the reservation and refund my money. So if anyone is in the same predicament, Hotwire will refund.

We were booked at the Hyatt House San Juan in a couple weeks that I had booked pre-hurricane. I tried contacting the hotel several times to no avail, so I booked an AirBnb as backup. The Airbnb was actually much nicer and a better deal than the hotel so I was planning on staying there. The problem was that I had booked on Hotwire, so getting my money back would be tricky. But I called a couple times and explained that I had to make alternate arrangements since I couldn't get a hold of the hotel. After some persistence I was able to get them to cancel the reservation and refund my money. So if anyone is in the same predicament, Hotwire will refund.

We did a 3 day cruise on the Dream in '14 with my 2.5 yr old and my 9 month old, and we loved it, so I think you made a good choice. I don't know how you feel about eating late vs eating early, but we got the 2nd seating, and our girls slept in the stroller at the restaurant. We liked this because they got to see the show, and we could give them a something to eat before the show. One night out of the 3 nights my 2 yr old made it to her meal. So I would recommend bringing a stroller (I'm sure you are) and utilizing that, plus you will save money and hours at the nursery. After dinner we would wheel our reclining double stroller to the nursery, and then have some grown up time. We told them just to leave them in the stroller, and we were able to just wheel them back a few hours later without waking them. We elected to stay on the boat at Nassau and went to Castaway Cay. I'm not sure what your itinerary is, but I would not skip Castaway Cay.

Yes, I checked TripAdvisor, nothing post-Maria.

I posted this on the thread about hotels being open, but didn't get any help, so I decided to start a new thread:

Anyone stayed at the Hyatt House San Juan? I booked this on Hotwire before the hurricane for late Jan. The Hyatt corporate line wasn't any help, they just told me what the website said. I sent a couple emails direct to the hotel and got no answer, I also wasn't able to get anyone on the phone. Based on all that I booked an AirBnb that was big enough to accomodate our party of 8. It was actually less expensive than the hotel room my parents had booked (that they are able to cancel), so we are going to keep that. Unfortunately, I don't think I can cancel my reservation, because it's Hotwire, unless they cancel mine. I was hoping I could find a way out of it so I can get my $170 back.

So all of this was a long-winded way of asking if anyone has stayed there recently and can confirm they are honoring their pre-hurricane reservations?

Anyone stayed at the Hyatt House San Juan? I booked this on Hotwire before the hurricane for late Jan. The Hyatt corporate line wasn't any help, they just told me what the website said. I sent a couple emails direct to the hotel and got no answer, I also wasn't able to get anyone on the phone. Based on all that I booked an AirBnb that was big enough to accomodate our party of 8. It was actually less expensive than the hotel room my parents had booked (that they are able to cancel), so we are going to keep that. Unfortunately, I don't think I can cancel my reservation, because it's Hotwire, unless they cancel mine. I was hoping I could find a way out of it so I can get my $170 back.

So all of this was a long-winded way of asking if anyone has stayed there recently and can confirm they are honoring their pre-hurricane reservations?

For wine - you are allowed to bring 2x 750 ML per stateroom (not per guest). If you have adjoining, that would be 4 bottles. There is officially a corkage fee if you take the bottle into a public space to be opened (MDR, specialty restaurants, bars), but does not count if you open in your room and take a glass with you. Your room steward will bring some wine glasses. The corkage fee is intermittent whether it will be charged or not.

 

Soda/Bottled water - officially not allowed. Most find that you are able to get bottled water on, haven't heard many talking about getting soda on.

Are you allowed 2 bottles after every port or for the whole cruise? Is beer or liquor allowed on?

As far as extra costs it can be as much or as little as you want to spend. I’ve had many cruises where I spent no money so at the end of the cruise I go shopping for gifts/souvenirs to use up my OBC. Specialty dining is nice but not necessary. Same with drinks- our kids drink the milk and water. We drink the coffee and iced tea and bring on some soda and wine. The only cost beyond the cabin to consider is tips.

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What is the policy with bringing on soda / wine? What is the policy on consuming thing brought on board?

Thanks for all the great, detailed responses. If nothing else, RCCL has the edge on Disney with the forum!

Can help with some questions.

 

Once you have the cruise booked, you will be able to use the Cruise Planner on RC's website. This is where you will find info and pricing on beverage packages, dinng packages, excursions, etc.

 

With regard to restaurants that are free and extra cost, RC no longer publishes a comprehensive list. However, if you mention the ship you are considering, we can help guide you. Restaurant pricing can be dynamic sailing to sailing.

Thanks. I kind of figured that. It is extremely annoying to me that that information is not readily available on their website. It makes me reluctant to go with them. It certainly makes it difficult for me to figure out what the total price it would be before I put down a nonrefundable deposit.

So I was looking at the Harmony (or similar), again I don't have a lot of knowledge about this line. From what I was able to glean from this board, the drinks package is $55 per person per day +18% gratuity, so $65 / day? But it also sounds like that number fluctuates? You are also saying that you can't access that until after you book the cruise?

I am considering RCCL and was trying to research it a bit online. I find their website difficult to navigate and I still have a lot of questions. I am sure these are redundant for this board but I didn't want to sift through 20+ pages on the FAQ thread.

We are family of 5 (my wife and I and our 3 daughters, ages 7, 5, 3). We've only done one cruise and it was on Disney. We are about to do our second Disney cruise in January. Was thinking about trying RCCL as it seems like it is less expensive, though the pricing seems less transparent.

• Interested in the bigger, newer boats. I talked to someone on the phone yesterday and she quoted me adjoining rooms, but I can't seem to figure out how to do that on the website. Is there a way in the online booking process to specify that?
  
• If you do do adjoining rooms is there a way to lock out the door to the outside on one of the rooms? Does anyone have experience with this with young children, and the pros / cons compared to the "Ultra-spacious" room that fits up to 6?
  
• Where do you research extras like drink packages, dining packages, etc?
  
• Which restaurants are an extra fee, and which ones are free. Is there somewhere where it breaks that down, and the fees associated with that?
  
• What costs extra (besides the obvious: alcohol, excursions, spa, etc)?
  

Thanks!

That place sounds great! Can anyone recommend a service that could drive us from the cruise port, to the zoo, then to that restaurant, and then pick us up later and take us to the cruise port?

It is likely that they will be showing all 3 in January

Thanks. One more question, is it likely that we will have time to watch all three on a 7 day cruise with 2 days at sea?